Convert Mask path to shape path?

Can I convert a Mask path into a shape path in AECS4?
I am running into a problem with resizing my layers - I am animating a signature, and part of it was done as a shape, part of it as a mask that 'reveals' a signature (someone else created the original) when I try to enlarge the whole thing, only the shape portion enlarges without artifacting (vector) the mask portion gets blocky and ugly if enlarged.

The After Effects CC (12.2) update makes creating Bezier paths easier and more obvious.
option for creating shape layers based on Bezier paths:
When a shape tool (Rectangle, Rounded Rectangle, Polygon, Star, or Ellipse tool) is active, you can use the new Bezier Path option in the Tools panel to create a new shape based on a Bezier path, as opposed to the default of creating a new shape based on a parametric path. Holding the Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) key while drawing a shape causes the opposite behavior—i.e., if the Bezier Path option is enabled, holding the Alt or Option key causes the shape tool to create a parametric path; if the Bezier Path option is disabled, holding the Alt or Option key causes the shape tool to create a Bezier path.
command for converting a parametric shape layer path to a Bezier path:
You can convert a parametric path to a Bezier path after the parametric path has already been created by context-clicking (right-clicking or Control-clicking on Mac OS) the property group for the parametric path (e.g., Rectangle Path 1) and choosing the Convert To Bezier Path command from the context menu. If the parametric path is animated (keyframed), the converted Bezier path is a static path based on the parametric path at the current time; keyframes are lost.
IMPORTANT: When you use the Convert To Bezier Path command to convert a parametric shape path to a Bezier shape path, the Bezier path that is created does not animate well (i.e., interpolation between paths behaves strangely and unpredictably). This is related to path direction and how transformations are stored. For now, you should not use these converted paths for animated paths (interpolation between paths); but, if you do want to try, you may be able to work around the issues by reversing the path before conversion.

Similar Messages

How to retrieve "KeyValue" from multiple Shape paths then "SetValue" to Mask path Keyframes?

Hello AEScriptsComm.,..
i have one question (hopefully the tutorer will answer soon), which is the goal and reason i'm learning ExtendScripts:
I have a few dozen Adobe Illustrator, imported Shape Layers with paths "Created..from Vector Layers" in AEffects.
In order to use a .jsxbin script to change every path to the same number of verticies for animating, i must 1st convert them to Keyframes on the same Mask Path property.
1) i hoped to please be shown\sent an example showing how to,..
a) Get\Retrieve "KeyValue" from multiple, single (Shape Layers):Outlines > Contents > Group > Path > Path as shown in screenshot "4-CreateShapeFromVecLyr2Outlines.JPG",
and then,..
b) "SetValue" from those paths into Mask > Mask Path keyframes also in screenshot "1-ExtendScript_ShapePathsTOMaskPathKeyframes.JPG"?
Really appreciate any help soon as time allows,
Jeff

Hello Xavier,
esp. with my limited experience i can't determine how your concise script works.
Because it 1st errors esp. with undefines i'm thinking at best its incomplete (or algorithm) to give me the gist and i'm to fill in the blanks, which i am doing with the sort of working code example pasted below.
Its written with every definition, declaration and initialization completed, so a novice like me can read the manuals, rev. eng. pertinant script(s), then with fragmented code and understanding quickly connecting to form a complete custom script, as we've all done.
like this:
var comp = app.project.activeItem:
var layer = comp.layers.addSolid([1,1,1,], layerName, comp.width, comp.height, 1.0, comp,duration);
therefore,..
var CompLayerSolid = app.project.activeItem.layers.addSolid([1,1,1,], layerName, comp.width, comp.height, 1.0, comp,duration);
..then with such direct access in other essentials, i can substitute compatible properties, methods, parameters etc. and remaining code that affect the layer objects i need to control simultaneously. Also thereby learning more complex code quickly enough to use.
Only, i hoped to save time here by those already familiar.
But by comparison your script without declarations or many references in AE's CS6 Scripting Guide and online, i can't decipher or understand,
although you wrote this more complete segment at CCow:
"shapeLayer.content.addProperty("ADBE Vector Graphic - Fill");",
..in which is the addProperty i 1st looked for in your script after erroring with "ShapeLayer is undefined"
But i could'nt find a ref. to either .content or content. anywhere in ExtendScript, nor "targetLayer.mask", and "targetLayer" i found once in ref. to ExtendScript as an AE layer name. So perhaps their your variables?, you see i can't determine or use.
i don't know that was'nt meant, maybe a bit to tell me do my own research?, no offence, can't confirm that without reply, hope you will, but my research is why i'm here and your probably advanced script could only help with your assistance.
Thanks anyway,
Cheers.
function()
var comp = app.project.activeItem;
var masksLayer = comp.selectedLayers[0];
var masksGroup = masksLayer.property("ADBE Mask Parade");
app.beginUndoGroup(rd_MasksToShapesData.scriptName);
// Create an empty shape lay
// Get the mask layer's pixel aspect; if layer has no source, use comp's pixel aspect
var pixelAspect = (masksLayer.source != null) ? masksLayer.source.pixelAspect : 1.0; //copixelAspect;
// Iterate over the masks layer's masks, converting their paths to shape paths
var mask, maskPath, vertices;
for (var m=1; m<=masksGroup.numProperties; m++)
var suffix = " Shapes";
var shapeLayer = comp.layers.addShape();
shapeLayer.name = masksLayer.name.substr(0,31-suffix.length) + suffix;
shapeLayer.moveBefore(masksLayer);
var shapeLayerContents = shapeLayer.property("ADBE Root Vectors Group");
var shapeGroup = shapeLayerContents; //.addProperty("ADBE Vector Group");
//shapeGroup.name = "Masks";
var shapePathGroup, shapePath, shapePathData;
// Get mask info
mask = masksGroup.property(m);
maskPath = mask.property("ADBE Mask Shape");
// Create new shape path using mask info
shapePathGroup = shapeGroup.addProperty("ADBE Vector Shape - Group");
shapePathGroup.name = mask.name;
shapePath = shapePathGroup.property("ADBE Vector Shape");
shapePathData = new Shape();
// ...adjust mask vertices (x axis) by pixel aspect
vertices = new Array();
for (var v=0; v<maskPath.value.vertices.length; v++){
vertices[vertices.length] = [maskPath.value.vertices[v][0] * pixelAspect, maskPath.value.vertices[v][1]];
shapePathData.vertices = vertices;
shapePathData.inTangents = maskPath.value.inTangents;
shapePathData.outTangents = maskPath.value.outTangents;
shapePathData.closed = maskPath.value.closed;
shapePath.setValue(shapePathData);
shapeLayer.transform.anchorPoint.setValue(masksLayer.transform.anchorPoint.value);
shapeLayer.transform.position.setValue(masksLayer.transform.position.value);
shapeLayer.transform.scale.setValue(masksLayer.transform.scale.value);
if (masksLayer.threeDLayer)
shapeLayer.threeDLayer = true;
shapeLayer.transform.xRotation.setValue(masksLayer.transform.xRotation.value);
shapeLayer.transform.yRotation.setValue(masksLayer.transform.yRotation.value);
shapeLayer.transform.zRotation.setValue(masksLayer.transform.zRotation.value);
shapeLayer.transform.orientation.setValue(masksLayer.transform.orientation.value);
else
shapeLayer.transform.rotation.setValue(masksLayer.transform.rotation.value);
shapeLayer.transform.opacity.setValue(masksLayer.transform.opacity.value);
// Match the mask layer's transfor
// Mute the mask layer
masksLayer.enabled = false;
app.endUndoGroup();

How can I feather the vector mask (path) of a shape layer in CS6?

How can I feather the vector mask, i.e. path of a shape layer in CS6?
The corresponding slider in the properties pallette is alway grayed out and unmovable for me when dealing with shape layers. Is there a trick to it, or ist it really not possible at all? (In CS5 you can feather any vector mask via the mask pallette, although the mask's behavior is most of the times quiet buggy after doing so.)
Or is there any other way to non-destructably blur a shape in CS6? (I know I can create a smart object and use a blur filter on it, but that's not really what i'm after.)
Thanks in advance for any help on this.
Reiz

Start from the beginning
- Select the Rectangle Tool - go to Options Bar, ensure 'Shape' options is on from the the Pick a Tool Mode drop down list.
- Draw Rect. This should create a vector Shape Layer.
- Select it in the Layers Panel: The Properties Panel then should highlight the Density and Feather options.
What happens here when you drag the Feather slider? On my end it feathers the vector shape as a whole.
If you need further masking capabilities, then apply a Layer Mask to the Shape and proceed with the Properties Panel Density/Feather options.
h

Linking position to mask path?

I know I can copy and paste a Mask Path to a layer's Position and vice versa.
But is there a way to link them live with an expression? I think I'm running into a problem with too many dimensions in an array -- I'm trying to link a Light's 3D position into a 2D Mask Shape (for Particular). I can copy and paste the motion path & mask shape between them just fine, but pickwhipping gives me an error.

Not directly, but there may be a work-around, depending on what you're trying to do. If you paste the path into the position property of a null, AE creates a smooth 2-second animation. You can like to the null's position and use a positon expression with the light (using valueAtTime()) to traverse the path on any timescale you want - stop, back up, etc. If what you're looking for is a live link between the path and the light though, then this doesn't help.
A script has access to all the mask stuff, so depending on exactly what you're trying to do, you could use a little helper script to update your light position keyframes after you edit the path.
Dan

Ae freezes with Mask/path

I have Ae CS6 and am running 11.0.2.11
Mac OSX 10.6.8
I am having an issue when I attempt to take a mask shape and use it as a path for a null object to follow.
The problem is when I try to take the mask path and apply the position of the of the null object to follow the system freezes it hangs with the shape color and I have to force quit Ae.
The shape I am taking is coming from illusrator to create the path and it makes the mask fine but when I try to copy it to the null object it freezes.
I do have an older version of illustrator CS4 for the shape but I do not believe that would be an issue.
Has anyone elso had this issue with this?

I'd clean up the path. It's probably causing the problems. It would be easy enough just to put a black solid above this layer, set the blend mode to screen, (or a white layer set to multiply) then draw a new simple path for your particles to follow. The blend mode lets you see the underlying layer without problems.
Once the path is drawn set a single key frame for the path, copy the path, then create a new light. Open up the light's position property and paste. Use the light as the emitter in Particular. Setting the first vertex at your starting point and leaving the path open will make the path more predictable.
I grabbed your screenshot and in less than two minutes had this:
Just noticed that you just wanted a null. There was a post concerning particular that I was reading earlier. Just replace the light with a null.. EZ as pie.

Question(s) about Mask Paths-Instructing a mask to follow an open mask path

Is it possible to instruct a closed mask to follow another open mask's path automatically?
IF so how please? See Pic.
I want Mask 2 the circle to follow mask 1 the "open path" from one end to the other over time. Without Manually KFraming each position. I'd rather do like 'text on a path' except using a mask shape instead of text. Animating via First or last Margin. Is that possible?
The other ?
How come my Mask shape moves from it's centered position (where I placed it) and then when I use my Pan Behind Anchor Point tool to animate the layer's Anchor point below it, the mask then moves off the screen to accomidate the pan?
Instead of having the Layer underneath panning as desired while leaving my mask centered in my comp? I want the appearance that the picture is moving/tracking within the shape, while the shape stays put in the middle where I parked it.
I even tried doing at as an anchor point pan, K Burns style. The Mask shape still animates instead of staying "put" in the center of the Layer? See Pics please Start/End
Thanks for any direction on this one or two...

Dave your instructions or work around are not clear to me.
"Make an elliptical mask on a solid, OK
then double-click on the mask to enable the Free Transform tool. <-- D.click the Mask in the comp, or the name in the TL?
Put the center of the mask at the solid's anchor point. <--the center of the eliptical on it's anchor point? The eliptical mask? Unclear.
Now highlight the open mask path, copy it and paste it into the solid's POSITION property. <--Unclear. There is only one mask path in your scenario where I have two in my question.
Adjust the resulting position keyframes to taste; they default to a 2-second move.
I think in other words it cannot be done having a shape mask follow an open mask path, that or you don't know, as I did not. I can use a solid and keyframe it manually. However I asked that in my opening statement.

Convert aep-path in Win-path?

I Have problem with paths.
Object File in Extened-script return me next data:
"/d/test/file.png".
But I want next data:
"d:/test/file.png".
how can I convert a path?

Your app server folders have a mappable location on your network, e.g,
server\path\filename. Use an HTML anchor tag and build the link with code. You'd be better off storing files on a file server (write to a mapped location from the app server) and link to there (same process).

Converted clipping path to frame (InDesign CS2)

I am working with files where the person has converted clipping paths to frames for the images. I need to resize the images but it leaves a blank silhouette of the hollowed out space (where the image was) and a view in the background of the full image, including the background. I'm new to InDesign and need to find out how to resize these images or how to undo the convert clipping path to frame. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks.

How are you trying to resize the frames now? Try Pressing Ctrl + Shift BEFORE you click the mouse on a sizing handle and drag. (you shouldn't need to press the keys first, but there was a bug in CS3 and I think it may still be in CS4 on the Windows platform).
You can also use the scale tool (hold shift to size proportionally) or use the SCALE fields -- the third set from the left, not the second set which are height and width of the frame only -- on the control panel or in the transform panel. These scale both content and container together.
By default the scale fields will say 100% after any transformation, and ID expects you to input percentage values in them and interprets numbers without units as per cent, but you can enter any value you like as long as you specify the units, so you can put 3in into the width field and the frame will become 3 inches wide. Scaling using the control panel is relative to the control point in the proxy on the left end, so if you select the upper left point, the upper left point of the bounding box will remain stationary and everything else will move toward or away from that.
Peter

Convert text path back to regular path

I accidentally converted a path to a text path. I searched the forum for how to convert it back to a regular path. The answer I found said to select the path and hit Command+C+F. This gives me another text path! I now have at least 6 copies of the path in my files but they are ALL text paths and none are visible with a stroke. Any ideas?

The "disconnected paths" element is confusing. Is this file an ai file, or is it possibly a pdf? If pdf, then there may be NO type path to select, as pdf often places each letter as individual type elements. Is this what you are experiencing? If so, locate the originating AI file.
To select a type path using the Direct Select tool (if it is indeed a type path), on Mac, hold down the option key while clicking on the path (away from the type itself).

Convert file path in application server as link

How can we convert file path in application server as link to send email.
Thanks
Suresh

Your app server folders have a mappable location on your network, e.g,
server\path\filename. Use an HTML anchor tag and build the link with code. You'd be better off storing files on a file server (write to a mapped location from the app server) and link to there (same process).

Editing mask path transparency throws one out of mask mode

While creating various circular masks with a radial gradient from white to black, whenever I change the blending mode of the mask path Ai will throw me out of mask mode into layer editing mode. Since this is on a large document of ~2Gb file with multiple artbords for large poster & UI refresh speed is slow, this has become quite frustrating.
Is this normal Ai behaviour?

An opacity mask uses just the greyscale information taken from the an object or image as a mask. Just like layer masks in Photoshop.
http://help.adobe.com/en_US/illustrator/cs/using/WS714a382cdf7d304e7e07d0100196cbc5f-64eba .html#WS2D8B6C1E-A2C8-4902-89C8-E5D04A6B314Ba
This stuff cannot at the same time multiply. If you want to also multiply it, you need a second object (a copy of the paths you used as mask).

Adaptive Resolution while adjusting mask path

This is something that has been driving me crazy for a while. Whenever I adjust a mask path, the resolution of the preview window drops to 1/2 and displays the words "Adaptive Resolution (1/2)" appear in the top right corner of the preview window.
This make it really difficult to make precise adjustments. Is there a way to prevent resolution loss when adjusting mask paths? I've tried, to no avail, changing the Adaptive Resolution settings in the Preferences panel.
Much thanks,
Daniel

In the Composition Panel select OFF (final quality) under the fast preview options.

Converting cftree path to variables

Ok folks is it possible to convert a path from cftree to a
list?
OR extract the elements of that path so that they may be
converted
to variables to be used in a query?
I'm creating a holiday review site and all hotels are in a
cftree categorised by board type
And when the info of which hotel is to be reviewed is chosen
and passed to another page all the info is in the path from the
tree.
Path:
Ibiza\San Antonio\all inclusive\Tanit
Is it possible to take the above path and use it as variables
to be used in a query to retrieve
Information on a particular hotel.
To give you more of an idea here is the where part of the
query in which the path is to be used:
WHERE c.country_id = r.country_id
AND r.resort_id = a.resort_id
AND at.accom_type_id = a.accom_type_id
AND a.accom_id = rv.accom_id
AND u.user_id = rv.user_id
AND c.country_name = 'Ibiza' AND r.resort_name = 'San
Antonio'
AND at.accom_type = 'all inclusive' AND a.accom_name =
'Tanit'
ORDER BY holdate DESC;
As you can see it is used to filter the hotel chosen in the
cftree.
Since the path contains different info depending on which
country, board type, and hotel is required.
The path needs to be converted to variables to used in the
filter.
Here are some examples of different paths:
Cuba\Cayo Guillermo\all inclusive\Sol Guillermo
Mexico\Can Cun\all inclusive\Palace
Majorca\Alcudia\self catring\Apartments Sol
Ibiza\Escana\bed & breakfast\Aparthotel La Cala

Using a brush of 6 px like a round 6 px brush is about the line weight of 6 px as shown by the straight line made with the line tool at a 6 px line weight.
MTSTUNER

Converting a path to selection deselects the path group in the paths palette.

Hi, does anyone know how I can stop this from happening. It did not do it in any other versions of PS I have used including CS6. Before when I selected one path in a group of paths, and then hit convert to selection the rest of the paths in the group would remain visible and the group/slot would remain highlighted in the paths palette. Now when I select a path and convert it to a selection it deselects the whole group in the paths palette so they are not visible anymore. When you have many paths in a group and you want to contiually deselect and select paths in the same group and convert to selection and then deselect to convert another path in the group to a selection to then have to reselect the group on the paths palette each time you wish to do this is a serious pain and waste of valuable time. I cannot recollect their being a setting that would disable or enable this feature. Can anyone help?

Hi Lemorris,
There is another discussion here regarding this issue. I'm hoping that an engineer will be able to answer our questions. So far it has been 15 days since this initial request for help was posted and no one from Adobe seems to care about the fact that we are having serious issues with the new path behaviours. Sadly these new behaviours are a possible game changer for me as they are adding quite a significant amount of time to my working processes. I'm still within my 30 day cancellation period for Adobe CC and if I do not get a satisfactory reply from someone at Adobe who can at least relieve my conscerns and tell me that this is a known bug and will be rectified at some point I will be cancelling my subscription. I have a genuine concern about the software and not one single person from Adobe has deemed my issue as worthy of reply. To me that is a disgraceful customer service.

Copy Mask Path, Paste to Position not working correctly PLEASE HELP!

please help I'm really at the end of my tether with this
When I create or place an object on my AF comp and then draw a mask. I try to paste that path into the position properties the path will be 'offset' and the object will not go to the start of the mask..it moves the mask then starts moving the object. this happens in AF CC, CS6 and CS5. I follow the tutorials to the letter and it off sets the object every time. What am I doing wrong?? I know its something really simple but i cant figure it out
Please help!

I just worked a complete thread on this subject. A quick search of the site with mask path in the query would bring up this thread.
To simplify the explanation you layer must be at 100% scale and at the default position in the composition for this to work. It's as simple as that. If your layer's anchor point of position properties are not at the default position this will not work.
Please check out the thread. There are multiple screen shots and explanations.

Convert Mask path to shape path?

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